Diving-gear for torpedoes.



W. DIETER.

DiVlNG GEAR FOR TORPEDOES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13 1916.

1,1 90,8? l Patented July 11, 1916.

- OFFICEg WILILIM DIETER, OF NEVI YORK, N. .Y.,

assiettes To E. W. Buss COMPANY, or

DIVING-GEAR FOR TORPEDOES.

Maasai.

appiiaation aie@ March i3, 1916.

To all 107mm it 12mg/ concern Be -1t` known that l, WILLIAM DIETER, a.

. citizen ofthe `United States of America,

' does commonly known as the diving gear.

This mechanism includes .a hydrostat and pendulum connected together through le- -vers and thence to thevalve of the horizontal steering engine (or tothe controlling element of any equivalent steering mechanism), so thatthe latter is operated by movements which are the, resultant of the movements of the pendulum-fand of the moving member of the hydrostat. The hydrostat ordinarily comprises a diaphragm receiving on one side,theliydrostatic pressure due to the depth of immersion and .on the other side the adjustable pressure of a spring or springs.

The present invention is designed to improve the construction ofsuch diving gear 1 n order mainly to facilitate the removal.

of the hydrostat diaphragm from the exterior of the torpedo without the necessity of removing theentire steering unit, which ilatter comprises the mechanism forsteering both in horizontal and vertical planes. The invention Vwill .be best' understood with reference to the accompanying drawing, showing the practical embodiment thereof, in which,-

Figure l isy a side elevation of the afteri part of a torpedo, partly broken away to show the diving mechanism in elevation. Fig. 2 is a view of the diving, mechanism on a larger scale, being partly in elevation and 4partly in vertical mid-section. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view designed to .show the connections and movements more clearly. Fig. 4 shows a fragment-of Fig. 2, the part F being removed. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary inverted plan showing part of the ring for clamping the diaphragm.

The general construction of diving gear, upon which the present invention is an improvement, is ,that shown in the patent of Leavitt, No. 1,080,116, granted December :'2. 1913, to whichV reference may be made for an illustration and. description of those parts -vSpecification. of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, MMG.

Serial No. 83,738. which form no part of the present'improvement, and which accordingly are not herein shown or described.

. Referring to Fig. 1, A is the 'hull of the' torpedo, B the diving rudder, B its tiller,

.C the tiller rod leading tothe piston or,

plunger of the engine' or servo-motor D, and E the valve stem which. operates the internal valve ofthe servo-motor. It is understood that motors or engines of this type have a vso-called floating plunger, being so controlled by the Valve that every movement of the valve is followed by .a corresponding movement of the plunger. Consequently the movements imparted to thei stCenrE are quickly repeated bythetiller roc The stem E is connected, as usual, to the upper arm of av lever F, being a .floating lever in that it has no fixed fulcrum. This lever is technically called the whililetree. It is fulc'rui'ned at itszmiddle at a point a vupon a movable support G and its lower arm is connected by a rod to the pendulum J. The fulerum point afis connected indirectly to the hydrostat. The' latter. comprises a diaphragml clamped fast to a shell or base L, so as to cover an openingV therein. The outerface of the diaphragm is exposed to hydrostatic pressure in the chamber L which has opencomm'unication withthe sea. The upper side of the Idiaphragm receives the pressure of aspring or springs M.

In place of the connections heretofore provided between the diaphragm K and the fulcrum point a, the present invention pro- .vides a dilferent series of connections. These comprise a lever P lfulcrumed at Z7 to a lxed point, having a pivotal or rocking connection c with the stem Z of the diaphragm, and connected at'its opposite free end d with -a small plunger orl stem 'e ing f in the base L. 'The connection between Z and e is bestmade as shown by providinglthe plunger e with two collarsl jointed Ito one arm of an elbow lever. i pivoted at j. The pivots v); and jare fixed piv-y ots .Shown as mounted on` a rigid bracket "which is movable verticallythrough a busharm 70,. projecting-.from a iixed shell Nl (which in the torpedo 4as constructed contains the gyroscope). The other arm ofthe lever i is upturned and is connectedA by a link m with a stud 'n on the rock lever Gr below its upper end which carries the float-A ing fulcrum convenience the link m is made of adjustable length by constructing it with a screwthreaded rod p, the opposite ends of lwhich lscrew into blocks g g', which'are pivoted espectively to thev elbow -lever and rock ever. i

The essential relationsgof the partsA and their operation' may` be best understoodby reference to the diagram, Fig.'3, in `which the parts are` slightly re-arranged to showtheir relations'more clearly, and the linkyand link m are `"shown as straight links'. It being understood that the points b h and j are fixed ,fulcrums for the levers P Gr and z' respectively, the operation' may best be understood by assuming that the torpedov in itsrun has attainedl too .l'ow a depth, sov

i that the hydrostatic pressure forces upwardly the diaphragm .This pulls up 'the pivot point c and rocks the lever P,- lifting its free endcl and raising the plunger' e which pushes up through the link g and rocks the lever el, exerting a pull through the link m .to.swing the rock 'lever Gr toward theright.l The effect of this is to displa'ce to the right the floating fulcrum a of the whiietree F. As'the pendulum J is' assumed to vremain undisturbed, its 'connec-y tion through the rod H with the lower end of the whifiletree holds the pivotal-connec-j tio'nbetween the latter and the whiiiietree the whifiletree,A therefore, swings stationary 7 fulcrum, and its around its lower pivot as a upper arm executes a multiplied movement' the plunger V of movements results.

to the right E to move the valve aftward, whichV causes in following this movement to therudder B an upward inclination. This steers the torpedo to a higher level, and if the-'torpedo runs higher than the set depth, a. reverse series vrThefpendulum has its usual function of acting through the transmit to steering mechanism' to tend to bring the torhereinafter claimed.

pedo to an even keel. In short, lthe opera tion is precisely theA same` as with the mechanisms heretofore provlded, as shown lfor example in the Leavitt patent above-cited.

The new mechanism has an important advantage in that it permits of. the :ready removability of the diaphragm K. To this end the diaphragm is clamped beneath to the-plate portion of the base L bounding the hydrostat opening. It'is so clamped.

j by means of'a ringmfastened by a series of I Vcrum 'pivot b may screws Vaccessible from'beneath. The -fulbe4 mounted in said ring or preferably on a separate pivotal piece .s

r4- of ,the whiiiletree F. For

"bind in its stuffing box. 'tages are entirely overcome ber of the torpedo by vmeans vof the rising.

water between the which pushes-through the" rod A terior, .l a .detachable leverY forcommunicatingmov e-A screwed beneath'the ringv (see 5).

Toremove the diaphragm, it is .only necessary to first remove the usual bottom plate t' 'forming a continuation 'of the hull of the 'torpedo7 then to disconnect the fulcrum of the ringr the latterv may be takenaway piece t5*,'whereupon the lever -P may be taken between the collars of the plunger-f I.

with the diaphragm and diaphragm-` stem or plunger.

Heretofore movement'has been communii' catedr from the diaphragm to -the Awhifllef i tree fulcrum'bymeans of a rock leven-'one ber-li"1nd the other arm above the base. L 'within-fthe torpedo, the' two being conv ect ed by means ofa rock shaft passing through a stuiing box. The-stuffing box connection has at times made too tight, so that itfworked Awith un? arm of which 'is located. within ,the cham.-

i leaked and at other-,times beendue resistance, and in case fp" any accident there was liability that the parts-'would become bent, yso tha'tthel rock shaft would by. communi. eating thev movement from thev exterior or water chamber tothe interior or air cham-v .and falling plunger; .e. Thisis madeto avoiding the-friction'a-l resistance of a stuifing boX. There is practically no in-leakage of causealmost'iinmediately after. the launching of the torpedo'the exhaust vair from the er1- gine' or turbine establishes'an internal pres'- sure which-partially balances the external' hydrostatic pressure,

These disadvany `work withv a free b utpractically watertight fit through thebushing f, thereby' plunger `and bushingbe: v

so thatl with'zthe very slight clearance' providedno materia-l leakage can occur. The adjust( and aft ladjustment ofthe vwhiflletrfee fulble provisions of" the linkv m.

a'fiorda convenient means of eifecting fore' 1.10'

crum, and thereby of *bringing the valve to its properworking position. v

The construction may be variedand the l parts re-arranged without changing the op-I eration or departing from the invention, as

The vinvention is applicable to the difp ferent arrangement of 'connections set forth ,ments from said diaphragm. 2. In a diving. gear fora drostat diaphragm removablefrom the exe-- lever, the fulcrum of which is carried by said ring, and which lever'reoeives -inovement from thediaphragm.

3. In av diving gear for a' torpedo, the combination with'a hydrostat' diaphragm, of a Vlever fulcrumed atone'end, receiving movement from the diaphragm at an intermediate point and transmitting multiplied movement at its opposite end, and a plun# ger engaging'said opposite end and moved thereby.

4.111 a diving gear for a torpedo, the

combination with hydrostat, pendulum, en-v gine, valve stem Aand intervening whiiietree of a connection between the hydrostat diaphragm -and IWhitlietree :comprising a lever operated by the diaphragm, a plunger operated b v the'lever, anda connectionbetweenv said plunger and vthe .Whitiletree whereby the movements of" the diaphragm are transmitted thereto.

5. In a diving gearfor a torpedo, the combination with hydrostat, pendulum, en-A gine,A valve stem and intervening lwhiilletree of a connection between .the hydrostat diaphragm'ancl-whilletree comprising a lever operated by the diaphragm, a plunger operated by the lever, 'and an elbow lever moved by said plunger and a connection between said'elbow lever and the whittletree.

6. In a diving gear for a torpedo, the combination with'hydrostat, pendulum, engine, valve stem and intervening whiilletree .of a connection between the hydrostat diaphragm and whiilletree comprising alever operated by the diaphragm,v 'a plungeroperated by the lever, a rock lever to which. the whiietree is fulcrumed, and a connection from said plunger to said rock lever whereby movements of the diaphragm arey transmitted thereto. l

In a diving gear for a torpedo, the combina-tion with h I/fdrostat, pendulum, engine, valve stem and intervening whiletree of a .connection between the h vdrostat diaphragmjand whiilietree comprising a lever operated by the diaphragm, a plunger operated by the lever, a rock lever to which the whitiletree is fulcrumed, and connections between said plunger and `rock lever, said connections vincluding an adjustable 'linkwhereby to adjust the position of the rock lever. In' witness whereof. I have lhereunto .signed my name. WILLIAM DIETER. 

